Her First Irish Christmas
by Zip Goes A Million
Summary: Sybil and Tom decide to spend their first Christmas as a couple in Tom's childhood Irish home. Sybil must get to grips with the ways of the Bransons at Christmas and Tom's mother comes to a heartwarming realisation about her son's new relationship. A Secret Santa present for gingerbreadsargent.


_Merry Christmas to BransonVevo, who is currently GingerbreadSargent on Tumblr. Hope you have a fantastic day, dear. I hope I've fulfilled your prompt well and that you enjoy it. Merry Christmas!_

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Sybil and Tom had been dating for seven months and this was their first Christmas as a couple. Traditionally they would spend their Christmas day with their respective families, but on this occasion, they wanted to spend Christmas day together. With Tom's family living in Ireland and Sybil's in the north of England, they couldn't spend half a day with one family and half with the other, so they had to choose a Crawley Christmas or a Branson Christmas. Since Tom knew Sybil's family relatively well and Sybil had only met Tom's family once, they decided to spend their Christmas in Ireland, much to the indignation of Sybil's parents. Cora had agreed to the idea once Sybil had promised to ring her every day to check on the Christmas preparations. Of the three sisters, Sybil had always been the one to help out most when it came to Christmas. Whether it be decorating the tree or wrapping presents or writing Christmas cards, it was always Sybil who was first to offer help. Sybil knew she was going to miss all that this year, but she also knew that she would be experiencing the Christmas of the man she loved more than anything else in the world and she was truly looking forward to seeing a snippet of his childhood. After all, when it came to Christmas day, everyone reverted to their childhood self just a little.

"You promise you'll keep in touch?" Cora asked as she and Sybil stood outside the Abbey with a taxi packed with Tom and Sybil's suitcases and waiting to leave for the airport.

"Yes mama. I've told you, I'm going to Ireland. Not Mars. Just because I'm spending Christmas with Tom, it doesn't mean that I'm going to forget about my own mother," Sybil said with a laugh.

"I'll miss you, Sybil, darling," Cora said, drawing her in for a hug and holding back tears.

"I'll be back before you know it, mama."

Sybil kissed Cora on the cheek and gave her one last hug before getting into the back of the taxi and being waved off by her mother. Sybil had said her goodbyes to the rest of her family earlier that day, but Cora wanted to be there with her youngest daughter until the last moment possible. Cora's bond with Sybil was stronger than that she had with her other two daughters, so seeing her go away for the holiday season was tough on Cora. Knowing that Sybil would be happy with Tom's family was the only consolation she had.

Sybil and Tom arrived at Tom's mother's house a few days before Christmas so that they could settle in and Sybil could get to grips with Christmas in the Branson household. Unsurprisingly, Sybil's childhood Christmases had been rather different from Tom's. Where Sybil's were very structured with set times for present giving and lunch and the unavoidable annual game of charades, the only structured moment in Tom's childhood Christmases seemed to be getting to church on time, and even that didn't always go to plan. When Tom showed Sybil around the house and took her to the room they would share over the holidays, he was surprised that his mother didn't stop them. And not only did she allow them to sleep together, but she had even placed a sprig of mistletoe over Tom's door. Sybil didn't seem to think anything of it and Tom didn't mention it to her, but it left him wondering what had changed in his mother's mind to have her be, if anything, encouraging the two of them to be together. For a firmly Catholic woman who didn't agree with sex before marriage, especially when it involved her own son under her own roof, Tom found it strange that she would give this nod of approval to Sybil and Tom's intimate relationship. At least, it looked like a nod of approval.

Sybil was re-introduced to the Branson family, which she was glad of, as she couldn't remember the names of everyone. Tom's mother, Linda, was as feisty as she had been when Sybil had first met her a number of months ago. She seemed to make a point of making sure that Sybil was comfortable in her home. She was the sort of woman who never had a castle to flaunt but she was proud of what little she did have and made sure that it was the best it could be at all times. The house was always clean and everything was always tidy and in its place. Sybil remembered Polly, Tom's younger sister, who was still at university studying medieval history and his older brother, Andrew, who was a primary school teacher and was visiting his mother for the afternoon. Polly looked very like Tom. Shorter, with slightly darker hair and freckles, Sybil could tell that they shared the same genes. Andrew looked more like Linda. Similar in height to Tom, but not so broad in the shoulders, he was blond and had sharp features. A mother and three children didn't seem too daunting. With Sybil's experience of her own family, life in this household couldn't be any worse in terms of the arguments and trying to get everyone to cooperate. But Tom reminded Sybil that on Christmas day they'd be hosting the rest of the family for Christmas dinner after church, which included Andrew's wife, Lucy and their two children, along with several members of Tom's extended family, including two more children.

"Tom, how do you manage to get that many people in one room? And how do you all cook for that many people with one kitchen?" Sybil asked, bewildered that one family of four could be prepared for such a large gathering on Christmas day.

"We manage," Tom replied. "Or, rather, mam manages. When she's in the zone, she won't usually accept much help in the kitchen. She does most of it single-handedly."

"Tom, your mother is a saint. I could never do that. Mum would never dream of cooking Christmas dinner alone, even if it was just for the five of us," Sybil said.

"Remember that mam's had practise though. She helped her own parents cook Christmas dinner when she was a child and then she took over entirely when she married da and started her own family. And you can't leave out the fact that she actually enjoys it. Cooking's kind of a hobby for her. It relaxes her somehow," Tom said.

In the next couple of days, everything finally fell into place and Christmas really did feel close. Sybil became closer friends with Polly and she got to know Linda more. She was so different from her own mother, but she could tell instantly that she had a good heart and wanted the best for her children and grandchildren. Polly was much quieter than Tom and seemed much more reserved on the face of things, but after a few days, Sybil drew her out of her shell. There was the same spark of passion in Polly's eyes as were in Tom's. It had been one of the first things Sybil had noticed about Tom and the first thing she'd fallen in love with. When Tom was passionate about something, he was unstoppable and Sybil could see now that it was a trait that ran in the family.

Sybil and Tom spent much of their time sitting in front of the fire in silence as they each read their own books. He took her for a few walks around the woods where he played as a child and he took her on a tour around his quaint little village. Despite the rain and wind, Sybil could never be put off this sort of adventure. She loved learning about Tom's childhood and how he'd lived in Ireland whilst she was back at the Abbey, causing trouble and dipping her fingers in the cake mix. This was his first week back in his hometown with his family for months and yet he still had time for Sybil. She knew that he had a close bond with his family, especially his mother, and knowing that Tom was going out of his way to make time for Sybil and include her in his life touched Sybil's heart and proved to her that he loved her a great deal.

ooo

The night before Christmas, everything was peaceful. Sybil and Tom were sat in front of the fire looking at the lights on the Christmas tree, which stood in the corner of the room. There was a selection of presents beneath the branches and the ornaments hanging from them reflected the light from the string woven between the branches onto the walls. It was a beautiful sight and Sybil was quite content sitting there in silence, taking in as much as she could. Sybil never got the chance to do anything like this at home. One large Christmas tree in the hall meant that no one really got to see it unless coming in or out of the house or walking from the sitting room to the grand staircase. This was much nicer and cosier. Being able to really admire Christmas the way it was always supposed to be admired was definitely better. Christmas was meant to be home made and maybe a bit tatty. It was about traditions and remembering old times. There were clearly a lot of good Christmas memories throughout Tom's childhood. Sybil wouldn't say it out loud, but in some ways she envied Tom's childhood. Most people would think hers was better with servants and a big house and all the land anyone could ever need, but, now that she knew Tom, she realised how distant she was from her family. She loved them dearly, but she never had the same sort of close-knit relationship with her family that Tom had with his. She'd always thought it would be nice to have a closer relationship, but now that she really had the chance to see such a tight family up close it made her wish even more that she and her family had a stronger relationship. There was always someone having an ongoing argument in the house. Sybil could never let go of the fact that Downton was her home, but she had promised herself that when she had the chance to make her own home, she would have one of less hostility and instead filled with love and good memories.

It was late and the house seemed quiet. Polly was in her bedroom, as she had been most of the day and Linda was making sure that everything was prepared for tomorrow's dinner. Sybil and Tom had been chatting for over an hour before they decided they should probably go to bed. When they got to the bottom of the stairs, Tom said, "You go on ahead, I want to talk to mam a second."

"Don't be too long," Sybil said. She kissed him before going upstairs to get ready for bed.

Tom walked into the kitchen and said, "Hi mam."

"Hello, where's Sybil?"

"She's gone up to bed. I just wanted to ask you something before I join her," Tom said with his hands in his pockets and his shoulders up by his ears like a sheepish schoolboy.

"What is it?"

"Why did you put mistletoe over my bedroom door?"

"I thought it would be a festive gesture," she replied, still checking that all the food and equipment necessary for tomorrow were in their correct places.

"But you've never done it before. And you've never let me sleep in the same room as a girlfriend before, so why now?"

Linda stopped what she was doing and stood opposite Tom. He was inches taller than her, but with her level of authority height didn't make much difference. "Tom, a mother can tell when her son is completely head over heels for a girl. You've had plenty of girls over before, but you've never been as infatuated as you are with Sybil. I can tell she really is important to you. The last time I met her, you couldn't take your eyes off her. You were with her around the clock. You've never been like that with a girl before. I don't want to scare you, Tom, but I can really see you and her making a life together. Getting married and having children and growing old together."

"But, what if you're wrong?" Tom asked sceptically. "Then you're letting me sleep with someone whom I may not end up staying with anyway."

"Tom, I don't remember the last time you were this happy. She really lights you up in the best way possible and I can't thank her enough for it. I think the relationship between the two of you will last for a long time and the mistletoe is my way of letting you know that I approve of it. Of her," Linda said, smiling at her son. "You've found a girl you love, Tom, and I'm willing to guess that it didn't take you long to realise it was love. If you lose her, you'll never find someone as good."

She brought Tom into a hug and he said, "Thanks mam. It means a lot that you like her."

"Now scram. She's waiting for you and I need to finish this. Tomorrow's going to be a long day and I can't afford for the dinner to go wrong."

Tom kissed his mother on the cheek and left her in peace to go and meet Sybil.

"There you are," she said, standing in the doorway of Tom's room, wearing a pair of pants and one of Tom's old shirts.

"Sorry, I had to ask mam about something and she got talking," he said. It wasn't exactly a lie, but it wasn't the whole truth. If Sybil were to find out that Linda could see them staying together for the rest of their lives, it might scare her away and Tom couldn't cope with losing her. As his mother had said, if he and Sybil were to break it off, he'd never find a girl as perfect as Sybil ever again.

Sybil turned to go back into the bedroom, but Tom grabbed her by the waist and turned her to face him.

"Tom, what are you doing?" she asked, bewildered.

He pointed to the mistletoe above them. "Mam put it there for a reason. It would be a shame not to use it," he said with a smirk.

Sybil put her arms over his shoulders and kissed him gently. He responded more than willingly and one hand moved to be under her shirt. Her bare skin against his sent a shot of desire through his body and his kiss became more heated. Sybil wasn't expecting it, but she enjoyed it all the same. She jumped to wrap her legs around Tom's waist, desperately trying to keep their lips locked together. Tom held her off the ground as if she was the weight of a feather. He walked her into the bedroom slowly, as Sybil twisted her fingers through his hair. She kicked the door closed behind them and Tom put Sybil down on the bed, removing his top as quickly as possible as she lay on the bed waiting for him. When he hovered over her again, his hands supporting him either side of her, she placed her hands flat on his chest. Feeling his muscles was always arousing – not that she needed any more arousing at this point.

"Tom," Sybil moaned against his lips. "I love you."

"I love you, Syb," he replied through the kisses. He played with the hem of her shirt and grappled to get it off her. She lifted her arms to make it easier for him to pull it off. She wasn't wearing a bra and Tom sat back for a moment to admire her beauty, the gentle curves of her body. Sybil sat up and reached to unbuckle Tom's belt. He quickly stood up to pull down his jeans and underwear. Sybil stared at his cock. He was clearly ready. He grabbed a condom from his jeans pocket and quickly ripped the packet open to run it down his hard penis. Tom hooked his fingers into the waistband of Sybil's underwear and slid them down her smooth legs. With such a quick start, Tom wanted to slow things down a little. He made a trail of kisses from her ankle up to her core, just missing her folds to start the same process of the other leg. Again, he came close to her wet centre, but intentionally missed it. He kissed her hips and across her stomach, leading up to her breasts. As he fondled one breast with his hand, he kissed the nipple of the other. The gentle kiss turned into a lick and then he sucked it into his mouth, circling the hard nipple with his practised tongue. He moved his mouth to the other breast and repeated the action, making Sybil moan his name and breathe heavily.

"Shh," Tom warned, "or we'll get caught."

"I don't care," Sybil rasped. "I need you, Tom."

He moved up her torso and kissed her neck and along her jawline, feeling the vibrations of her whimpers and moans as they reverberated from her voice box out into the rest of her body. He kissed her fully on the lips and she spread her legs beneath him as a silent way of asking for more. He reached a hand down, their lips still pressed together, and played with her clitoris. Sybil threw her head back on the pillow and smiled.

"Oh, Tom," she groaned.

Tom moved down her body again until his tongue was in reaching distance of her soaked core. She could feel his breath on her sensitive skin and a shiver shot through her body. She bit her lip so as not to scream out his name and cause someone to catch them in the act. He licked up her folds and circled her nub with his tongue, starting smoothly, but ending roughly. The stubble of his chin against her skin aroused her yet more and she raised her hips to get as much of her as possible near him. As his tongue continued to tease, he brought up his hand and slotted two fingers into her centre. He teased her inner walls and she moaned louder than was probably safe.

"Tom! Oh, fuck me, Tom!"

Releasing her from his mouth, he said, "My pleasure, milady."

He guided his hard cock to her entrance and rubbed it against her for a last moment of teasing.

"Please Tom," she groaned, begging for release.

He slid into her, the perfect fit. She grabbed the bedsheets either side of her until her knuckles were white and bit her full lower lip, trying to hold back her screams. Once he was in her as fully as he could be, he paused. He leant forward to kiss her breasts in turn and with his hands supporting him on the bed either side of Sybil's torso, he began to rock his hips slowly. The slow movement gradually picked up in pace and he could see that Sybil was nearing her climax. He slowed again and with one hand began to massage her clitoris again. Sybil was breathing heavily and she had to bite her lip more and more to keep her from shouting out his name. As he picked up speed again, he continued to erratically run his fingers over her button, so that her climax could be the best it could possibly be. She couldn't hold in in any more. She had to call out his name as the feeling of release finally echoed through her body, shortly followed by Tom's own release within her.

"Holy crap, Tom!" she shouted out.

"Feck, Syb," Tom said in a much more hushed tone, wary that his mother was still awake and probably heard more of their antics than he would have liked. He pulled out of her and lay beside her on the bed. Their breathing was uneven and hurried. For a while, they lay beside each other, staring at the ceiling and listening to each other slowly getting their breathing back to normal.

"Syb, I love you," Tom said quietly.

"I love you too," she whispered back, turning herself so that she could wrap her arm over Tom's naked torso and lie together as one.

ooo

The next morning was Christmas day and Sybil and Tom woke up together, still naked from the night before. The bed sheets were tangled around their limbs and Tom lay on his front whilst Sybil lay on her side, facing away from him. Tom was the first to wake up, as was usually the case with them. He slid carefully out of bed, trying not to disturb the sheets too much, so as not to wake Sybil. He pulled on his jeans and ambled downstairs to make tea for them both. He walked into the kitchen to find his mother already awake and reading the latest news on her tablet, which she still wasn't sure how to use.

"Morning, mam. Merry Christmas," he said, as he hugged her from behind as she was sitting at the head of the table.

"Merry Christmas to you too, dear," she said, her Irish accent thick and strong.

Tom started to boil the kettle and get two mugs ready, but paused when he heard Linda take a breath, but say nothing. "What?" he asked.

"It's nothing, dear," she said.

"No it's not," Tom said, knowing his mother all too well. "What were you going to say?"

"It's just," she said with a smirk on her face, "you and Sybil were certainly having a merry time last night."

"You heard?" Tom said, far too loudly and indignantly for his own good.

"Yes, Tom, but there's nothing to worry about. It isn't as if I've never heard it before," she said.

"You can't tell Sybil, alright?" Tom said, a little too bossily.

"Don't use that tone with me, Tom," his mother warned.

"Sorry, mam, but if you tell her, she'll never forget the embarrassment," Tom said, worrying about the reaction of his girlfriend were she to find out that their attempts to remain quiet in the heat of the moment went unsuccessful.

"I won't tell her," Linda reassured. "You two suit each other; I wouldn't risk breaking you apart. And it's Christmas. If I can't forgive on Christmas day, what sort of person would I be?"

"Thanks, mam," Tom said, kissing his mother on the cheek. He finished making the tea with a sigh of relief and returned upstairs to find Sybil awake.

"Morning," she said.

"Morning. I made you some tea," he said, placing it on her bedside table.

"Thank you."

He moved round to his side of the bed, placing his own mug down before he sat under the covers next to her and pulled Sybil in for a hug. "Merry Christmas, love."

"Merry Christmas," she replied, smiling at the memory of last night.

Together, they drank their tea and chatted mindlessly about things that weren't particularly important. When they finished, they slowly got dressed and made their way downstairs, not in any hurry. Sybil was wearing a navy blue lacy dress with a flared skirt that just about reached her knee. There were sequins on the neck line and on the edge of the short sleeves. She was wearing black tights with it and silver earrings that Tom had bought her for her birthday a few months ago. Tom was wearing the jeans he'd worn yesterday and a smart pale blue shirt. They walked into the kitchen hand in hand and found Linda still trying to get to grips with the news app of her tablet.

"Good morning, Sybil, dear," she said cheerfully.

"Morning," Sybil replied. "Merry Christmas."

"Yes, merry Christmas. Now, we have about an hour until we need to go to church. Tom, have you seen your sister?"

"I've not heard hide nor hair of her," he replied.

Linda got up from her chair with a small sigh and went to fetch Polly out of bed. The days when her three children woke her at five in the morning to open their stockings were long gone.

Tom made himself some toast and Sybil helped herself to an apple for breakfast as they waited for the last member of the house to come alive again.

Polly came skipping into the kitchen in her pyjamas, and slid to a halt next to Tom. She wrapped her arms around him and said, "Merry Christmas, Tommy!" She turned to look at Sybil. "Merry Christmas, Sybil."

"Merry Christmas, Polly," Sybil said with a smile.

"You're cheery this morning and you haven't even had coffee yet," Tom said with a small laugh.

"It's Christmas, of course I'm cheerful."

Sybil loved watching Tom be with his sister. They were close friends and Sybil wished she had that sort of relationship with her sisters. Although Mary and Edith were the ones always at each other's throats, Sybil wouldn't class her own relationship with her sisters as perfect. Far from it, in fact. They'd always been different. For Sybil, finding Tom was a dream come true – finding a family within which she really fit. They were intelligent and political and they accepted her with all her quirks. She loved feeling like she really belonged with someone. It gave her a sense of warmth every time she thought of it. Every time she thought of Tom.

The church was in the centre of the village, but it was an easy walk from Tom's house. Sybil had finished her outfit with a pair of navy heels and a dark double-breasted coat. Tom had put on a red and white Christmas jumper and a warm coat to keep out the chill on the walk down. Linda, Polly, Sybil and Tom walked together and managed to find seats with the rest of their large extended family in the church. Sybil and Tom, naturally, sat next to each other and held hands throughout most of the sermon. Once the ceremony had ended and merry Christmas was said to all of Tom's old family friends, the Branson family all walked back to Tom's house along the narrow winding roads of the little village. It was a little windy, but the sky was clear, the sun was bright and there was no rain. As far as winter days go, it was a lovely one for a Christmas celebration. As they all walked together, Sybil got introduced to various family members. Tom's cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents. Andrew, whom Sybil had met earlier in the week, introduced her to his wife and two children, Amelia and Joe. They were only five and three years old, but they were very well behaved and Amelia took an instant liking to Sybil. Tom was her favourite uncle, so anyone who was with Tom tended to receive some of the love. She decided to walk between Sybil and Tom for most of the way back, holding their hands so that they could swing her forward as they walked. When her small legs got tired Tom lifted her onto his shoulders and carried her the rest of the way home. As soon as they were in sight of the house, Amelia badgered Tom to let her down so that she could run to the head of the group and get in the house as soon as possible. Though she visited Linda's house throughout the year, being there on Christmas day was special and she wanted to make the most of it. Sybil and Tom, who were near the back of the group, slowed their pace until they were right at the rear.

"Sorry about Amelia," Tom said to Sybil, squeezing her hand in support. Though there were other children in the group, the others didn't seem too bothered about Sybil and Tom.

"She's cute," Sybil said. "And you're really good with her."

"She's completely in love with me," Tom joked.

"Head over heels. Should I be worried about my competition?" Sybil said jokingly.

"I don't think you have to worry. I've never loved someone as much as I love you," he said, stopping them so that they could face each other. He held both of her hands and said, "I mean it. I love you more than I've ever loved anyone. You're amazing Syb and I don't want to ever lose you."

He kissed her tenderly, squeezing her hands again as a sign of support. She leant her forehead on his and whispered,  
"Merry Christmas, Tom."

"Merry Christmas, Syb," he replied softly.

They kept walking and they held each other's hands more tightly now. Sybil couldn't wipe the grin off her face.

Once everyone had settled inside, the annual Branson Christmas got underway. Linda began cooking the dinner, which would be served around mid-afternoon, and accepted little help from everyone else. She was the one who knew where everything was and how long things had already been cooking. She was used to cooking Christmas dinner on her own, so having assistance from others would hinder rather than help her. Sybil and Tom sat together in the sitting room, which was cramped and full of people. Everyone was chatting and there seemed to be three conversations going at once. It was hectic, but it was wonderful. Amelia sat between Sybil and Tom, again stopping them from touching and being the madly in love young couple they were, and showed them the toys she'd got in her stocking that morning. Amelia interrogated Sybil on what she did as a job and whether she really loved Tom and whether they should be allowed to kiss when they weren't even married. When Amelia got up to play with her little brother Tom scooched closer to Sybil and wrapped his arm around her.

"She's a feisty one," Sybil said light-heartedly.

"I know, sorry. It felt a bit like an interview didn't it?"

"I think I passed though. She hasn't kicked me out of the family yet," Sybil joked.

"I would never let her do that anyway. I'd never let anyone kick you out of the family," Tom said before kissing her softly.

Sybil and Tom chatted to the rest of Tom's family and thankfully their reaction to Sybil seemed to be positive. When Linda came into the room and announced that everything was cooking nicely, everyone knew it was time to open presents. Polly did the honours of handing out the wrapped, bowed and labelled presents from the tree. Each person only seemed to get a few presents, but they were all meaningful and heartfelt. Sybil was used to getting more presents, but they weren't usually so personal. Amelia had made Sybil and Tom a Christmas drawing with her new felt tips, wishing them a merry Christmas and a happy new year, which made Sybil smile brightly. Sybil watched as Tom opened his gifts from her, a bottle of aftershave and a pair of mismatched cufflinks, one of which was an English flag and the other an Irish one. Tom loved the cufflinks. They showed the two parts of his life: his life in England with Sybil and his life in Ireland with his family. He then watched Sybil open her two gifts. The first was an umbrella which showed stars when it got wet. It was a reminder of their first date where they had intended to see a film, but with it being sold out, they had stargazed in Tom's back garden of his small flat instead. As Sybil remembered that first date, she couldn't stop a smile form forming widely across her lips. Her other present came in a small velvet jewellery box. When she opened it she gasped quietly. In the box was a necklace with the pendant an anatomical heart. The detail showed the aorta and coronary arteries and the muscle of the heart. It was a gentle nod to Sybil's career as a nurse as well as a subtle way to tell Sybil that Tom was giving her his heart. Tom clasped the necklace behind Sybil's neck as she held her hair out of the way. When she turned back to face him, he said,

"Gorgeous."

She kissed him and soon the present giving and receiving was finished. Everyone gathered the used wrapping paper and discarded packaging of new things and cleared the space once more. A few of them decided to play cards for a while until the dinner was ready, so they sat on the floor in a circle and played games of euchre, spoons, squares and Irish snap. The Branson family had always played cards in their childhood, so this was a nice reminder of what Christmas was supposed to be – being together with family, having fun and remembering old times.

Eventually the dinner was ready and everyone sat at the table. Linda said grace, everyone was served and the conversations continued where they had left off. At any one time there were three or four conversations going at once, which Tom assured Sybil was entirely normal for a Branson meal. Sybil learnt of various embarrassing stories from Tom's childhood which he had failed to mention previously. She knew she would be able to tease him with these stories at some point later on. Everyone pulled crackers together with their arms crossed. They all went off out of time with their little 'pop's like mini fireworks and people jokingly boasted or complained that they either had the prize end of two crackers or no prize end at all. Tissue paper Christmas hats sat crookedly on heads and terrible jokes about snowmen and penguins were groaned at. Saucepans and oven trays were passed around the table when people came back for second helpings and the Christmas pudding was lit and watched in awe as everyone waited for their dessert to finish its show of lights.

Once everyone was finished, an hour or two later, and the table had been cleared of dirty crockery and cutlery, the kitchen became empty and the sitting room became buzzing with excitement once more. They decided to play Christmas themed charades, which was more hectic than the Crawley Christmas charades, and they watch The Polar Express to settle things down a little with the lights out and the curtains drawn. Their Christmas film list was limited as they had to make sure the films were suitable for the children. By the time The Polar Express was rolling the credits the children were fast asleep. Christmas day always proved to be exciting and long for the children. Getting them to sleep on Christmas Eve couldn't be harder, but getting them to sleep on Christmas day was easy. As everyone shuffled around quietly to stretch their legs and top up their glasses of champagne, they decided on the next film to watch. The girls' choice of Love Actually overruled the boys' choice of Home Alone and so Polly put Love Actually in the DVD player, ready to hit play once everyone had settled down again.

Tom and Sybil were standing just outside the room as all of this commotion was happening.

"What's wrong, love?" Tom said, speaking softly to his girlfriend.

"I'm just tired," Sybil said, shaking her head. "I sort of want to just fall into bed."

"Why don't we then?" Tom said. "I can tell the others that we're going to bed and not watching the next film. They won't mind. We're all only human."

"I don't want to make you go to bed just because I'm tired," Sybil said.

"No, no, I'd quite like to go to bed anyway. It's been a long day and I'd rather snuggle up alone with you than sit and watch Love Actually for the millionth time," he said, running his hand up and down her arm gently.

"How come you've watched Love Actually so much?" Sybil asked, genuinely surprised that he'd seen it once, let alone a million times.

"It's a tradition to watch it every December in the run up to Christmas. Sometimes more than once. And sometimes at random intervals throughout the year as well. I know the story well enough to tell you exactly what happens and when," he said with a smile. "Honestly, we can miss it. You go on up and I'll let the others know."

He kissed her and she plodded upstairs to Tom's room. He went to tell the rest of his family that he and Sybil wouldn't be watching the film, which took much longer than expected, as he had to say goodbye and goodnight and merry Christmas to practically every member of the family. When he did finally get upstairs he found Sybil already changed and asleep in bed. He brushed her hair away from her face and kissed her forehead then changed as silently as he could, turned out the lights and crawled into bed beside her. Of all the Christmases he had ever had, this had got to be one of the best. Being with family and with the one woman he loved more than anything in the world was a special thing that he could never take for granted. This is what Christmas was supposed to be. This is what love was supposed to be.


End file.
